The {{translation|'''Chūnin Selection Exams'''|中忍選抜試験|Chūnin Senbatsu Shiken}}<ref>[[Byakuganvs. Shadow Clone Jutsu!|''Naruto''episode 60]]</ref> are an opportunity for [[genin]]to be promoted to [[chūnin]]. The exam structure and evaluation processes differ from one exam to the next so that genin cannot come prepared. Villages originally held their own individual exams. Following the [[Third Shinobi World War]], exams that are open to all villages started being held bi-annually, with villages taking turns for hosting responsibilities. These shared exams improve relations between the villages, present up-and-coming ninja to clients, and create an opportunity for gambling.

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The {{translation|'''Chūnin Selection Exams'''|中忍選抜試験|Chūnin Senbatsu Shiken}}<ref>[[Byakugan vs. Shadow Clone Jutsu!|''Naruto'' episode 60]]</ref> are a type of test to test the abilities of the [[genin]]. If the genin perform well, they will be considered for promotion to [[chūnin]].

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==Background==

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Agenindoes not need to win the Chūnin Exams to be promoted. If they show themselves capable, they can still be promoted regardless. One example was [[Shikamaru Nara]], who forfeited his first round against Temari but was nevertheless promoted to chūnin since he proved himself to be capable.

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To become a chūnin, a genin participates in a wide-scale examination, known as the ''Chūnin Selection Exams'', with their team. Despite [[Kakashi Hatake]] claiming earlier that all three members of a cell is required to participate together, it may be assumed that a genin does not necessarily have to undertake the exam along with their team-mates under circumstances since [[Sakura Haruno]] succeeded in becoming a chūnin during the time-skip with her teammates [[Naruto Uzumaki]] and [[Sasuke Uchiha]] both being absent during the period, and because [[Shikamaru Nara]] was already a chūnin when [[Chōji Akimichi]] and [[Ino Yamanaka]] took the exam during the time-skip. The only exam seen in the series is a three-stage exam held in [[Konohagakure]].

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== TheStages ==

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== KnownExams ==

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At least in Konoha, the Chūnin Selection Exams take part in three different stages, all means of testing genin in having the necessary skills and judgment required to become a chūnin and thinning out those who aren't skilled enough. The test can differ from year to year, so the specific details for each task maydiffer.

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=== Konoha-Only===

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[[Konohagakure]] held one of its own Chūnin Exams around the time of the Third Shinobi World War. Genin had to enter as part of a three-man team. The three stages were not held consecutively, allowing participants to recuperate between stages.

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*Thefirststage (proctored by [[Ibiki Morino]]) is a written test, which includes difficult questions related to different ninja subjects, and it is designed to be too difficult to be answered by a normal genin. It checks information gathering and decision-making abilities, because, to pass, the participants must find a reliable source of information, then discreetly cheat off them without getting caught by the watchful instructors. As such, the instructors place [[chūnin]]s within the mass to provide a reliable source to cheat off of. However, extremely intelligent ninjas can solve such questions without resorting to such, the prominent example being [[Sakura Haruno]]. During the first stage in the tenth and final question, the genin are told that if they fail the question they'll be forbidden to enter the exam again, but they can leave now and try another year. It test their resolve and willingness to take risks, and if they decide to stay, they immediately pass. All three members of a team must pass this section of the exam in order to advance. In the anime, where it is stated that Ibiki Morino had proctored the exams before, it was revealed that he had selected different scenarios for the tenth question, with different solutions, such as giving the choice of either quitting and having the whole squad fail or continuing and having the lowest scoring member of the squad be forced to remain a genin forever (solution is to quit, rather than sacrifice squad members for personal gain).

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====SecondStage====

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*Thesecond stage (proctored by [[AnkoMitarashi]]) tests the abilities of accomplishing a mission and real life survival skills without a sensei, as the participants are locked within a dangerous training area and asked to survive five days without outside help. They are also required to obtain two different scrolls: {{translation|Scroll of Heaven|天の書|Ten no Sho}} and {{translation|Scroll of Earth|地の書|Chi no Sho}} in order to move on to the third stage,forcing them to fight one another and hold on to their own. Kabuto also mentioned that it is possible for teams to gather multiple copies of scrollstotradefor information from other teams aboutthestrength and abilities of other villages, to give them to other ninja from their own village, or simply to reduce the numberofscrolls available, and thus the numberof teams reaching the next stage. All three members of a teammustpassthissectionoftheexaminordertoadvance.

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Heldinthe [[Forest ofDeath]], the second stage consisted of tournamentbattlesbetweenthree-man teams.The[[ThirdHokage]] and the team'sleadermonitored the fightsremotely. Loss of a matchdidnotnecessarilypreventageninfromcontinuingtothefinals.

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* The third and final stage (proctored by [[Genma Shiranui]], originally supposed to be [[Hayate Gekkō]]) consists of tournament-like fights between those remainders who passed the previous two stages, observed by a council of [[daimyō]] and village ninja that decides who becomes a Chūnin and who does not. This exam takes place one month after the second phase, to allow the participants to prepare themselves.

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While the winners are able to proceed to fight the next opponent, aptitude, rather than winning, is evaluated to determine whether a candidate is promoted; for example, [[Shikamaru Nara]] forfeits his first match but is still promoted because of his strategic aptitude. This way, anyone who makes it to the third stage of the Exams has a chance to become chūnin. However, it is also possible for none of the candidates to become chūnin if the judges believe that they do not have appropriate qualifications. Those who win and advance to the next round have more chances to show their aptitude.

Preliminariesmayalso be held if too many ninja teams reach the end. In the [[Chūnin Exam Arc]], seven teams, an unusually high number, completed the second phase of the test. The losers in this extra round cannot participate in the final tournament and thus cannot be considered for promotion to chūnin. From this point on, team members no longer need to all pass their respective battles in order for their comrades to advance.

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====Finals====

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The finals consisted of one-on-one tournament battles.

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Duringthe examinations, death may be involved. As such, participants are required to sign a release form to acknowledge and accept such risks. An example is when [[Gaara]] massacred [[Team Shigure]].

In the past, each village held their own chūnin exam. After the Third Ninja World War, allied ninja villages agreed to hold the exams together at the selected village that would host the exam. This was done to improve relations between the villages and prevent war between them. Another advantage is that ninja that took the exam might attract clients who are interested in hiring them. Because of the growing number of ninja in each village, the exams are hosted twice every year. The exams are also used as a gambling device and during the [[Invasion of Konoha]], [[Sunagakure]] and [[Otogakure]] used the exam to their advantage to declare war against[[Konohagakure]].

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=== Konoha-Held===

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At the start of Part I, [[Konohagakure]] hosts one of the year's Chūnin Exams. Genin must enter as part of a three-man team. Prior to the first stage, [[Izumo Kamizuki]] and [[Kotetsu Hagane]] (disguised as genin) try to discourage others from participating.

*[[Getsugakure]] ninja are seen briefly during the first stage.<ref>Chapter 39, page 18</ref><ref>Chapter 43, page 19</ref>

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==== First Stage ====

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Proctored by [[Ibiki Morino]], the first stage is, at a glance, an hour-long written test of ten questions. However, the first nine questions are too difficult for an average genin to be able to answer. The real objective, therefore, is to cheat: either copy from one of the few genin that can answer the questions or from one of the chūnin embedded with the examinees. If a genin is caught cheating five times, they and the rest of their team are disqualified. Getting the correct answer to these nine questions is not ultimately important, as it is possible to pass without answering any of them at all.

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Forty-five minutes in to the first stage, genin are given the opportunity to answer the tenth question. They are first warned that, if they answer the question incorrectly, they will not be allowed to take the exams ever again; if they forfeit - which also disqualifies the rest of their team - before hearing the question, they will be allowed to retake the exams another time. This option is, itself, the tenth question; if a genin is willing to face the unknown of the tenth question, they are ready to be a chūnin. [[Naruto Uzumaki]]'s open determination to face this unknown inspires all of the remaining genin, causing a higher than average number to pass to the second stage.

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{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"

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|-

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! Participating Team !! Village !! Outcome

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|-

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| [[Team 7]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team 8]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team 10]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Guy]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Baki]] || [[Sunagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Dosu]] || [[Otogakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Kabuto]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Oboro]] || [[Amegakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Shigure]] || [[Amegakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Hōki (Takigakure)|Hōki]] || [[Takigakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Manabu Akado]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Sukima]]'s team || [[Konohagakure]] || Disqualified

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|-

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| [[Komaza]]'s team || [[Sunagakure]] || Disqualified

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|-

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| [[Suiu]]'s team || [[Amegakure]] || Disqualified

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|-

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| [[Samidare]]'s team || [[Amegakure]] || Disqualified

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|-

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| [[Jimei]]'s team || [[Konohagakure]] || Disqualified

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|-

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| [[Team Komugi]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Forfeited

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|-

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| [[Hōsei]]'s team || [[Konohagakure]] || Forfeited

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|-

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| [[Nejiri]] || [[Sunagakure]] || ''unknown''

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|-

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|}

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==== Second Stage ====

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Proctored by [[Anko Mitarashi]], the second stage takes place in the [[Forest of Death]]. Three-man teams are given either a {{translation|Heaven Scroll|天の書|Ten no Sho}} or an {{translation|Earth Scroll|地の書|Chi no Sho}} before entering the forest. They then have five days for the entire team to reach the building in the centre of the forest with one of each scroll in their possession; how they acquire the other scroll is up to them, by force or by trade being the most common options. Because of the natural hazards of the forest, the absence of services or outside assistance, and the likely conflict with other teams, genin must sign liability waivers before entering to release Konoha from responsibility for any injuries or deaths.

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If a team loses their starting scroll they are not automatically disqualified, as they may use the remaining time to acquire another copy of the scroll they've lost. By the same extension, acquiring both scrolls does not guarantee completion of the second stage, as they still must reach the centre building in time. As the second stage goes on, team that have lost their scroll will tend to gather around the building, hoping to prey on on those with both. Alternately, teams that already have both scrolls can linger outside the building, taking scrolls from others to reduce the competition of later stages.

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Genin are forbidden from opening either scroll until they have reached the central building. If they follow this instruction, the scroll will [[Summoning Technique|summon]] a higher-ranked ninja to grant them advancement to the next stage. If they do not follow this instruction, the ninja will render them and everyone else in the area unconscious for the duration of the second stage.

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The [[Three Sand Siblings]], in particular, have broken the previous record by making to the tower with both scrolls in 97 minutes.

Because too many genin end up passing the second stage, a single round of randomly selected one-on-one matches is held where only the victor will get to continue on. Participants' advancement to the finals is no longer contingent upon the success of their teammates; it is for this excuse that [[Kabuto Yakushi]] forfeits before the preliminaries start. Matches are refereed by [[Hayate Gekkō]] while others are free to observe. Genin are encouraged to watch each others' fights carefully to help them prepare for fighting each other in the finals; indeed, after the preliminaries are finished the finalists are told who they will fight in the first round so they can plan accordingly.

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{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"

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|-

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! Match !! Combatants !! Outcome

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|-

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| 1 || [[Sasuke Uchiha]] vs. [[Yoroi Akadō]] || Sasuke wins

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|-

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| 2 || [[Zaku Abumi]] vs. [[Shino Aburame]] || Shino wins

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|-

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| 3 || [[Misumi Tsurugi]] vs. [[Kankurō]] || Kankurō wins

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|-

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| 4 || [[Sakura Haruno]] vs. [[Ino Yamanaka]] || double knockout

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| 5 || [[Tenten]] vs. [[Temari]] || Temari wins

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|-

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| 6 || [[Shikamaru Nara]] vs. [[Kin Tsuchi]] || Shikamaru wins

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|-

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| 7 || [[Naruto Uzumaki]] vs. [[Kiba Inuzuka]] || Naruto wins

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|-

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| 8 || [[Hinata Hyūga]] vs. [[Neji Hyūga]] || Neji wins

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|-

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| 9 || [[Gaara]] vs. [[Rock Lee]] || Gaara wins

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|-

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| 10 || [[Dosu Kinuta]] vs. [[Chōji Akimichi]] || Dosu wins

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|-

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|}

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==== Finals ====

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The finals are held a month after the completion of the preliminaries so that finalists have a chance to recuperate and prepare. This also allows news of the matchups to get around and attract greater publicity for the event. The finals consist of one-on-one tournament battles refereed by [[Genma Shiranui]] (originally planned to be reffed by [[Hayate Gekkō]] before his death). Although the tournament is designed for there to be an ultimate "winner", success does not guarantee promotion nor does failure preclude it; if the observing ninja and [[daimyō]] feel a genin displays the necessary qualities for a chūnin, that genin will be promoted regardless of how they place in the tournament. For this reason it is possible for as many as all of the finalists to pass, or even for none of them to. Therefore, the important point of this exam is for the examinees to show their aptitude in the field, and would have more opportunity if they advance to the next round.

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[[Shikamaru Nara]] was originally scheduled to fight [[Dosu Kinuta]] in the first round of the finals, and the victor of that match would then fight [[Temari]]. However, Dosu is killed before the finals take place, so Shikamaru and Temari are matched from the beginning.

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Due to Sunagakure joining forces with Otogakure to attack Konohagakure during the midst of the match between Gaara and Sasuke, the remainder of the matches were cancelled. The original idea was for Gaara to awaken [[Shukaku]] in the middle of the battlefield, wrecking havoc upon Konoha, but Sasuke's [[Chidori]] circumvented the transformation and caused the attack to occur without Gaara's help. Only Shikamaru, who proved himself worthy for his strategic demonstration, was promoted.

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{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"

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! First Round !! Second Round !! Final Round

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|-

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| [[Naruto Uzumaki]] vs. [[Neji Hyūga]]

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| rowspan="2" | Naruto vs. ''[[Konoha Crush|interrupted]]''

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| rowspan="4" | ''interrupted''

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|-

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| [[Gaara]] vs. [[Sasuke Uchiha]]

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|-

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| [[Kankurō]] vs. [[Shino Aburame]]

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| rowspan="2" | Shino vs. Temari

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|-

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| [[Temari]] vs. [[Shikamaru Nara]]

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|-

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|}

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=== Konoha–Suna Joint ===

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In the anime, [[Konohagakure]] and [[Sunagakure]] hold a joint Chūnin Exam during the gap in time between Part I and Part II. Although they invite all the other respective villages to participate, only [[Takigakure]], [[Kusagakure]] and [[Amegakure]] accept. The participating genin must enter as part of a three-man team. Although publicly meant to symbolise the growing alliance between Konoha and Suna, the exams are actually held to help restore Konohagakure's reputation after the events of the last exams being interrupted. A second hidden goal for these exams was to draw out [[Akatsuki]], with the [[Fifth Kazekage]] (a [[jinchūriki]]) being the bait.

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{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"

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|-

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! Village !! Participants<ref>''Naruto Shippūden'' episode 395</ref>

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|-

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| [[Konohagakure]] || 72

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|-

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| [[Sunagakure]] || 27

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|-

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| [[Amegakure]] || 15

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|-

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| [[Kusagakure]] || 6

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|-

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| [[Takigakure]] || 3

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|-

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| '''Total''' || 123

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|-

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|}

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*An [[Otogakure]] genin is briefly seen during the first stage.<ref name="NS397">''Naruto Shippūden'' episode 397</ref>

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==== First Stage ====

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Proctored by [[Shikamaru Nara]], the first stage is a written test that takes place in Konoha. Members from each team are split into in one of three rooms while taking the test. The goal for this test is to see how well the team-mates know each other, as each member of a team must answer one of three questions and depending on the question picked will decide whether the team passes or fails. Ultimately, the team members have to achieve a combined score of 100 points.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 396</ref>

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Along with the three question choice test, there is a bonus question that must be answered unanimously by each team which asks what member of their respective team would be chosen to be a decoy and the one picked will be disqualified. This happens to be a trick question as all members of a team must be present in order to be qualified for the second round.<ref name="NS397" /> Communication between team-mates is allowed.

Because too many genin passed the first stage, a preliminary round was issued. It involved a race to Sunagakure, where only the first 30 teams to reach [[Demon Desert]] within three days were allowed to qualify for the second stage.

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{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"

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|-

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! Participating Team !! Village !! Outcome

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|-

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| [[Team Ajisai]] || [[Amegakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Ameno]] || [[Sunagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Asuma]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Fū]] || [[Takigakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Goji]] || [[Sunagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Guy]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Kazami]] || [[Kusagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Komugi]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Kurenai]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Matsuri]] || [[Sunagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Saya]] || [[Sunagakure]] || Passed

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|-

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| [[Team Shibire]] || [[Konohagakure]] || Failed

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|-

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| [[Team Shira]] || [[Sunagakure]] || Passed

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|}

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==== Second Stage ====

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Proctored by [[Temari]], the second stage takes place in Suna's [[Demon Desert]]. Teams are given either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll before entering the desert. They then have three days for the entire team to reach the building in the centre of the desert with one of each scroll in their possession. Because of the risks involved with this second stage, genin must sign liability waivers before entering.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 398</ref>

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After the second phase of the exams ended, it was announced by the Fifth Kazekage that there will be no third phase due to unfortunate matters. However, he revealed that the evaluation of each genin would be looked over by their respective village leaders, and they would ultimately decide if they are promoted to chūnin.<ref>''Naruto: Shippūden'' episode 413</ref>

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== Referenced Exams ==

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Although only three Chūnin Exams have been depicted in the series, many others have been referenced:

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*[[Manabu Akado]] has taken and failed the exams on seventeen prior occasions.

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*The [[Third Hokage]] remembers [[Kabuto Yakushi]] dropping out before the finals during a previous exam. Kabuto's records state he has failed five other times as well.

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*In the anime, [[Ibiki Morino]] proctored the first stage of the exams before. Each time he changed the tenth question, such as giving the choice of either quitting and having the whole squad fail or continuing and having the lowest scoring member of the squad be forced to remain a genin forever (solution is to quit, rather than sacrifice squad members for personal gain).

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*In the anime, during an escort mission, [[Idate Morino]] was failed during the first exam by Ibiki for risking the future of his squad, and in fact was forbidden from ever taking the exams again.<ref>''Naruto'' episode 105</ref>

== Trivia ==

== Trivia ==

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* According to [[Kabuto]], during the firstChūninExamsseenintheanimeandmanga,thenumberof participants from different villages were as follows:<ref>''Naruto'' chapter 39, page 10</ref><ref>''Naruto'' episode 23</ref>

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* In''[[Find the Four-LeafRedClover!]]'',[[Kakashi]]saysthatgeninwhowenttoandreturned from [[Akagahara]] were accepted as [[chūnin]].

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** [[Konohagakure]] —87participants

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* In ''[[Chūnin Exam on Fire! Naruto vs. Konohamaru!]]'', use of [[senjutsu]] is against the rules as it would give [[Naruto Uzumaki]] an unfair advantage. Indeed, Naruto, who was not listening when this was explained, was immediately disqualified whenheusedsenjutsu.

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** [[Sunagakure]] — 30 participants

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** [[Amegakure]] — 21 participants

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** [[Kusagakure]] — 6 participants

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** [[Takigakure]] — 6 participants

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** [[Otogakure]] — 3 participants

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** Total — 153

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* In the [[Find the Four-Leaf Red Clover!|first ''Naruto'' OVA]], [[Kakashi]] mentioned that in the past, genin went to [[Akagahara]] with the dream to become the best ninja and those who returned safely were accepted as [[chūnin]].

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* Although there are [[Getsugakure]] and [[Kumogakure]] ninja shown in the first stage, they are not mentioned.

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* In the non-canon [[A Chūnin Exam of Flames! Naruto vs. Konohamaru!!|ninth ''Naruto'' OVA]], use of [[senjutsu]] was against the rules during the exam due to it being an unfair advantage.

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* In the [[Land of Tea Arc]], during an escort mission, it is revealed that the first exam proctor, [[Ibiki Morino]], failed his younger brother [[Idate Morino]] for risking the future of his squad.

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* Years earlier, the Chūnin proctors were matched against each other; Anko was matched against Hayate and Ibiki.

== References ==

== References ==

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<references/>

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<references/>

[[Category:Ninja Ranks|Chunin Exams]]

[[Category:Ninja Ranks|Chunin Exams]]

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[[de:Die Chunin-Auswahlprüfung]]

[[ru:Экзамен на звание Чуунина]]

[[ru:Экзамен на звание Чуунина]]

Latest revision as of 18:18, July 9, 2015

This is the article on the kind of exams. If you are looking for the article on the story arc, head to Chūnin Exams.

The Chūnin Selection Exams (中忍選抜試験, Chūnin Senbatsu Shiken)[1] are an opportunity for genin to be promoted to chūnin. The exam structure and evaluation processes differ from one exam to the next so that genin cannot come prepared. Villages originally held their own individual exams. Following the Third Shinobi World War, exams that are open to all villages started being held bi-annually, with villages taking turns for hosting responsibilities. These shared exams improve relations between the villages, present up-and-coming ninja to clients, and create an opportunity for gambling.

A genin does not need to win the Chūnin Exams to be promoted. If they show themselves capable, they can still be promoted regardless. One example was Shikamaru Nara, who forfeited his first round against Temari but was nevertheless promoted to chūnin since he proved himself to be capable.

Contents

Konohagakure held one of its own Chūnin Exams around the time of the Third Shinobi World War. Genin had to enter as part of a three-man team. The three stages were not held consecutively, allowing participants to recuperate between stages.

Held in the Forest of Death, the second stage consisted of tournament battles between three-man teams. The Third Hokage and the team's leader monitored the fights remotely. Loss of a match did not necessarily prevent a genin from continuing to the finals.

At the start of Part I, Konohagakure hosts one of the year's Chūnin Exams. Genin must enter as part of a three-man team. Prior to the first stage, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane (disguised as genin) try to discourage others from participating.

Proctored by Ibiki Morino, the first stage is, at a glance, an hour-long written test of ten questions. However, the first nine questions are too difficult for an average genin to be able to answer. The real objective, therefore, is to cheat: either copy from one of the few genin that can answer the questions or from one of the chūnin embedded with the examinees. If a genin is caught cheating five times, they and the rest of their team are disqualified. Getting the correct answer to these nine questions is not ultimately important, as it is possible to pass without answering any of them at all.

Forty-five minutes in to the first stage, genin are given the opportunity to answer the tenth question. They are first warned that, if they answer the question incorrectly, they will not be allowed to take the exams ever again; if they forfeit - which also disqualifies the rest of their team - before hearing the question, they will be allowed to retake the exams another time. This option is, itself, the tenth question; if a genin is willing to face the unknown of the tenth question, they are ready to be a chūnin. Naruto Uzumaki's open determination to face this unknown inspires all of the remaining genin, causing a higher than average number to pass to the second stage.

Proctored by Anko Mitarashi, the second stage takes place in the Forest of Death. Three-man teams are given either a Heaven Scroll (天の書, Ten no Sho) or an Earth Scroll (地の書, Chi no Sho) before entering the forest. They then have five days for the entire team to reach the building in the centre of the forest with one of each scroll in their possession; how they acquire the other scroll is up to them, by force or by trade being the most common options. Because of the natural hazards of the forest, the absence of services or outside assistance, and the likely conflict with other teams, genin must sign liability waivers before entering to release Konoha from responsibility for any injuries or deaths.

If a team loses their starting scroll they are not automatically disqualified, as they may use the remaining time to acquire another copy of the scroll they've lost. By the same extension, acquiring both scrolls does not guarantee completion of the second stage, as they still must reach the centre building in time. As the second stage goes on, team that have lost their scroll will tend to gather around the building, hoping to prey on on those with both. Alternately, teams that already have both scrolls can linger outside the building, taking scrolls from others to reduce the competition of later stages.

Genin are forbidden from opening either scroll until they have reached the central building. If they follow this instruction, the scroll will summon a higher-ranked ninja to grant them advancement to the next stage. If they do not follow this instruction, the ninja will render them and everyone else in the area unconscious for the duration of the second stage.

The Three Sand Siblings, in particular, have broken the previous record by making to the tower with both scrolls in 97 minutes.

Because too many genin end up passing the second stage, a single round of randomly selected one-on-one matches is held where only the victor will get to continue on. Participants' advancement to the finals is no longer contingent upon the success of their teammates; it is for this excuse that Kabuto Yakushi forfeits before the preliminaries start. Matches are refereed by Hayate Gekkō while others are free to observe. Genin are encouraged to watch each others' fights carefully to help them prepare for fighting each other in the finals; indeed, after the preliminaries are finished the finalists are told who they will fight in the first round so they can plan accordingly.

The finals are held a month after the completion of the preliminaries so that finalists have a chance to recuperate and prepare. This also allows news of the matchups to get around and attract greater publicity for the event. The finals consist of one-on-one tournament battles refereed by Genma Shiranui (originally planned to be reffed by Hayate Gekkō before his death). Although the tournament is designed for there to be an ultimate "winner", success does not guarantee promotion nor does failure preclude it; if the observing ninja and daimyō feel a genin displays the necessary qualities for a chūnin, that genin will be promoted regardless of how they place in the tournament. For this reason it is possible for as many as all of the finalists to pass, or even for none of them to. Therefore, the important point of this exam is for the examinees to show their aptitude in the field, and would have more opportunity if they advance to the next round.

Shikamaru Nara was originally scheduled to fight Dosu Kinuta in the first round of the finals, and the victor of that match would then fight Temari. However, Dosu is killed before the finals take place, so Shikamaru and Temari are matched from the beginning.

Due to Sunagakure joining forces with Otogakure to attack Konohagakure during the midst of the match between Gaara and Sasuke, the remainder of the matches were cancelled. The original idea was for Gaara to awaken Shukaku in the middle of the battlefield, wrecking havoc upon Konoha, but Sasuke's Chidori circumvented the transformation and caused the attack to occur without Gaara's help. Only Shikamaru, who proved himself worthy for his strategic demonstration, was promoted.

In the anime, Konohagakure and Sunagakure hold a joint Chūnin Exam during the gap in time between Part I and Part II. Although they invite all the other respective villages to participate, only Takigakure, Kusagakure and Amegakure accept. The participating genin must enter as part of a three-man team. Although publicly meant to symbolise the growing alliance between Konoha and Suna, the exams are actually held to help restore Konohagakure's reputation after the events of the last exams being interrupted. A second hidden goal for these exams was to draw out Akatsuki, with the Fifth Kazekage (a jinchūriki) being the bait.

Proctored by Shikamaru Nara, the first stage is a written test that takes place in Konoha. Members from each team are split into in one of three rooms while taking the test. The goal for this test is to see how well the team-mates know each other, as each member of a team must answer one of three questions and depending on the question picked will decide whether the team passes or fails. Ultimately, the team members have to achieve a combined score of 100 points.[9]

Along with the three question choice test, there is a bonus question that must be answered unanimously by each team which asks what member of their respective team would be chosen to be a decoy and the one picked will be disqualified. This happens to be a trick question as all members of a team must be present in order to be qualified for the second round.[8] Communication between team-mates is allowed.

Because too many genin passed the first stage, a preliminary round was issued. It involved a race to Sunagakure, where only the first 30 teams to reach Demon Desert within three days were allowed to qualify for the second stage.

Proctored by Temari, the second stage takes place in Suna's Demon Desert. Teams are given either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll before entering the desert. They then have three days for the entire team to reach the building in the centre of the desert with one of each scroll in their possession. Because of the risks involved with this second stage, genin must sign liability waivers before entering.[10]

After the second phase of the exams ended, it was announced by the Fifth Kazekage that there will be no third phase due to unfortunate matters. However, he revealed that the evaluation of each genin would be looked over by their respective village leaders, and they would ultimately decide if they are promoted to chūnin.[11]

Although only three Chūnin Exams have been depicted in the series, many others have been referenced:

Manabu Akado has taken and failed the exams on seventeen prior occasions.

The Third Hokage remembers Kabuto Yakushi dropping out before the finals during a previous exam. Kabuto's records state he has failed five other times as well.

In the anime, Ibiki Morino proctored the first stage of the exams before. Each time he changed the tenth question, such as giving the choice of either quitting and having the whole squad fail or continuing and having the lowest scoring member of the squad be forced to remain a genin forever (solution is to quit, rather than sacrifice squad members for personal gain).

In the anime, during an escort mission, Idate Morino was failed during the first exam by Ibiki for risking the future of his squad, and in fact was forbidden from ever taking the exams again.[12]